1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suspended particle device, a light control device using the suspended particle device, and methods for driving these devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2007-506151) discloses an exemplary conventional technique as follows.
A suspended particle device (SPD) includes at least one compartment for housing a particle suspension 10a, 10b, means for applying a first electric field to the particle suspension 10a, 10b and means for applying a second electric field to the particle suspension 10a, 10b, the first and second electric fields having different field directions. A plurality of pixels are defined by a plurality of compartments, each housing a separate particle suspension 10a, 10b and/or regions of a particle suspension 10 within a compartment in which means for applying an inhomogeneous second electric field are provided. Each pixel may be tuned to a transmissive state, a reflective state or an intermediate state or ‘grey value’, so that the SPD 4 may be used to display imaging or text. The SPD 4 may be reset by bringing the pixels into the same state by applying an appropriate electric field to one or more pixels.